Tom’s Restaurant

If you ignore the fact that the exterior of this building was used on Seinfeld, what you have is a very basic New York City-​style diner. I got myself a Rueben sandwich with a side of fries. Nothing to write home about, but it got the job done. The staff was old school and friendly.

Old fashioned diner. Unique décor, lots of photos and newspaper cut– outs. I came here for dinnerabout 2 years ago, following the song by Suzanne Vega when I was visiting NYC. Food was big portion.

Came here during lunch but wasn’t allowed to sit until everyone else arrived (1 person). Ordered two eggs with bacon and before I could sip on my Coke the meal came out. Think most this was prepared way in advance. I felt kind of rushed to eat and get out as soon as possible.

Many dreams were crushed…
I was really excited to come here, being a huge fan of seinfeld whose name is Tom. Unfortunately, the food and dining experience here was terrible, and nobody should ever enter this restaurant. Take a picture outside, and then run away!
First, the food is bad. Simple as that. Second, it is expensive, and they nickel and dime you for everything. I had to pay 40 cents to get mayo on my sandwich.
Third, service is atrocious. I ordered a blt, and they somehow forgot about the L in blt and didn’t give me lettuce. When I told the server, he accused me of taking off the lettuce. Really??? Are there really that many people trying to take advantage of restaurants to get an extra leaf of iceberg lettuce??? Lastly, when we had paid and were finishing our drinks, the server came over with another party to take over or table. We were not even done!
DO NOT, under any circumstances, pad through the door of this restaurant.

Es el emblemático lugar de Manhattan en Upper West Side cuya fachada sirvió para Seinfeld. Dentro es un clásico lugar de almuerzo y café americano, muy lindo, estilo sesentas. El menú es variado. Rrco. siendo los sándwichs del día que vienen acompañados por una porción de papas fritas. Promedio, 10 dólares. Por un dólar más, te dan la sopa del día que es riquisima.

Food is great, value is superb and if you’re a Seinfeld fan … well then this is Mecca!

Been to this place many times and I’ve always found the service to actually be quite quick and reasonably good for such a busy little place. The food isn’t great, it’s ok (hence my «meh, I’ve experienced better» two-​star review). It’s convenient for breakfast, when I’m staying in the area, and know safely what I’m going to experience.
What did bother me greatly though was my last time visiting this place… hearing a manager (perhaps owner) constantly berate one of his staff. I kept hearing him go and on to the guy about how he looked miserable. You know, when you keep telling someone that they look miserable, inevitably you’re going to make them miserable. What made it worse was that it was done in a manner that could be heard by the customers. This bully even quipped to a customer about it in front of the member of staff as though he wasn’t there. The victim seemed to carry on professionally without arguing back at this loud-​mouthed owner or manager… so kudos to this chap for keeping his temper… I know if it was me being spoken to like that, I sure wouldn’t.
When I’m trying to eat my breakfast, I don’t want to hear this. If you have a problem with your staff… there is a time and place for that, not the middle of the restaurant and certainly not at volume. It’s for that reason alone that I will not be back. I’m not lining the pockets of an owner (or manager) who treats their staff like that.

First off, I love the show Seinfeld and used to watch it everyday, and my guess is anyone looking at the reviews is also a fan of the show. So when I was in Manhattan visiting friends during spring break 2015, I insisted we stop by Tom’s Restaurant — the exterior shot for Monk’s café!
I probably should have checked Unilocal before coming. Even if I had seen the bad reviews, I would have come anyway to have the experience, but at least I wouldn’t have been as surprised and disappointed by the food and service. I had chicken noodle soup to start because I felt like getting something classic but evidently it went through the deflavorizing machine before getting served to me. The BLT was better but kind of dry.
Really, the service was pretty bad… I don’t expect that much but the server was just plain unhappy to be there, taking our orders with about as few muttered words as possible.
I think Tom’s restaurant deserves 1.5 stars for the food and for the service, but I’m giving 2 stars because of the Seinfeld memorabilia and cultural significance. Really no reason to come here unless you are a fan of Seinfeld — even during my short stay in Manhattan, there were plenty of diners with better food and service.

Being huge fans of Seinfeld, it was a no-​brainer for my husband and I to stop in here while visiting NYC. The outside of the restaurant looks exactly how you see it on the show. The inside, however, looks completely different. Instead of blueish walls and light colored booths and tables, everything is mainly wood paneling. This did not disappoint us, however.
When we entered the restaurant, we were seated right away. Our server was a very sweet Greek woman who was a lot of fun to talk to. She has worked at Tom’s for 26 years!
The food here is what one would expect at a diner type establishment. It is very good, and very reasonably priced as well. And kudos on the portion sizes. I had the lox and onion omelette with American fries, and my husband had the double cheeseburger. When one thinks of a double cheeseburger, you think of one burger with 2 patties on it. Not at Tom’s. Here, you get 2 large burgers on your plate. We both enjoyed our meals thoroughly.
We will definitely be coming back here the next time we are in NYC.

Let’s just get right to it. The only reason this place is famous is because of Seinfeld. The food is shit. Take a picture of the front, the actual part of the establishment featured on the show and be on your merry way. Don’t bother entering, it is simply not worth it.

Like countless other Unilocalers, I came to Tom’s because of its pop culture significance. My expectations were tempered by the reviews and also the fact that places which can get by not on their merits but on a steady stream of tourists aren’t usually very good. Overall, the food was about what you’d expect for an average diner. Not fancy, a little bland, but still you get giant portions of greasy, satisfying diner classics. I had the fried chicken cutlet sandwich with fries and it was exactly what I was craving, so it really hit the spot.
The thing that brings the experience way, way down was the godawful service. We sat for at least 10 minutes before anyone even noticed us, and when we finally got someone’s attention, we got a gruff «Ok, so what do you want?» as if our wanting to order food was really interfering with this lady’s other important plans. Food came out pretty quick, so the kitchen was on point even with a packed house. But my food arrived a couple minutes after my dining partner’s, and my empty coffee cup was passed over multiple times before I had to finally grab someone and ask for a refill.
The check was delivered mid-​meal with a blatant overtone of «come on, hurry it up here people» our waitress came by to remind us to hurry up while I tried to finish my coffee. Another annoyance is that they only take cash, and the Canadian quarter in my change was the «fuck you» cherry on top of the shitty service sundae.
.
So sure, go there for the photo op with the legendary sign. But don’t bother going inside because they don’t deserve your business.

Newman… Ok had to leave a Seinfeld reference.
I really really enjoyed the restaurant we had. BLT and the leg of lamb special both were great! It was busy and our drinks were never empty, food came out quick and was super tasty
The lamb was suppose to Come with mint jelly but was forgotten, and I am ok with that because I wouldn’t have eaten it! But i was looking for something that went wrong.
This place is cash only!

Despite the mediocre overall review rating here, I actually really don’t mind this place at all. To be fair, mine is more of a 3.5 rating than a 4 star, but what the hell – feeling particularly fond of Tom’s, today.
If you forget that this is THE Seinfield diner, this really is a typical diner, albeit you’d think it was amazing based on how busy it is. There’s usually a line during the day, but if you stop by at night you can usually order some «post-​party I need food now» food really quickly. The last time I came here, four of us were seated at the bar quickly. The menu is extensive, with very reasonable prices both for Manhattan as well as for being such an iconic bar – I admire Tom’s dedication to not selling out, although I’m sure they could make even more of a fortune if they did.
Our food came very quickly – nothing to complain about, as you can’t really mess up the diner staples like BLTs or classic burgers. My favorite here, always, is the vanilla milkshake – share with a friend, since you basically get two full-​sized portions in one!

Tom’s strengths are: a really diverse menu, most prices are quite fair (especially for NYC), some dishes are actually quite above par (e.g., the lamb shank), and at the right time it’s a lot easier to park around the restaurant than in most places in Manhattan. I feel, to some extent, in our culture it’s hip to say you’ve been somewhere with this kind of visibility (Tom’s is a bit of a popular culture icon) and tear it down. I think some of the reviews I’ve read are unfair.
The reason I don’t give Tom’s a fourth-​star is the service is inconsistent, the restaurant should be open later during the week, and it shouldn’t be reserved for private parties so often (it may be pure coincidence, but in my experience I’ve run into this a lot).
The service is a bit choppy. Sometimes it feels like SOME members of the staff have gotten used to a large number of patrons that are only there as gawking tourists. As a result, they can carry a bit of an air — while at the same time being just a tad slow at their job.
Given most reviews I’ve read here, I’d say the food is terribly underrated. This is comfort food with a touch of NYC and ethnic diversity. It’s a comprehensive menu. There’s something for everyone. It’s probably not the best place to find some of the exotic dishes you might only find at another restaurant in NYC but it is a safe place to find reasonable culinary diversity for a fair price.
The lamb shank, the souvlaki’s, the desserts, and the soups are fairly good. The breakfast foods are a home run. With more pleasant staff the diner would really earn it’s fourth star. They also really need to start taking credit cards.

This classic Seinfeld spot was a classic diner. My husband and I brought our 2 boys here for breakfast on our last morning in the city. It was busy, but several empty tables– we walked right in and sat down, no waiting on a Monday morning.
The prices were extremely reasonable for Manhattan and the service was good and our server was friendly.
I got a cheese omlette with hash browns and toast and shared strawberry pancakes with my 5 year old. I’m not saying it was a 5 star meal, but it was good. My kids liked the food so what more can you ask for. And they were accommodating with our stroller too, which isn’t always the case in NYC. And each one of our breakfasts came with a tiny glass of oj. If you want a bigger one, they charge you for a large oj, but the tiny one worked well for us.
Overall, we had a great experience here at Tom’s Restaurant!
P. S. They DO NOT take credit cards!!!

The only reason it’s still around is because of the publicity they received for being in a few seinfeld episodes!
The place is old dirty and dingy
The service is awful! It’s not welcoming and no one is friendly
It’s an $ 8 min pp, that’s reasonable but shouldn’t be enforced esp when you are sitting with 2 or more people at a booth, but no it’s «policy» because Godforbid you don’t follow policy!
Because the waitress and manager or whoever he was had to repeat that policy about 4 times I wouldn’t come in or eat here again, it’s really pathetic and you guys are not even good to be stank
I ordered drinks and some food in total would probably come out to being 8 pp
But they aren’t sharp enough to get that
That’s fine …

Not going to lie, we went here for the «Seinfeld» factor but were disappointed by the service.
We went there to take some pictures and check out the inside of the restaurant but decided to get something to eat since we were there. We sat down and decided to have some ice cream and let our server know. It seemed that our server was disappointed that we were only having ice cream! She mentioned, «only ice cream?» I wasn’t expecting the best food but decent service would have been good.

Tom’s Restaurant, being infamous for being the «Seinfeld» restaurant, was an incredible disappointment. I have been twice and I do not plan on going again. The first visit we had subpar service. It wasn’t memorable, which may be worth noting in itself. To be quite honest, I’ve had had better food at Denny’s.
The second time I went is where I take most issue. I went to visit friends who had just finished their meals. I sat down and I was bombarded by a short woman with short hair and a thick accent demanding I spend $ 8 to sit there. I just walked in, didn’t even say a proper hello to my friends, nor did I have a menu in front of me. This was simply unacceptable behavior and I decided right then and there that they would not be getting my money then nor in the future. I just asked for a water and she huffed away. My friends paid cash and did not leave a tip. She counted the money as she walked away from our table and came back to tell us the service was not included in the bill. Essentially she was demanding we tip her. We did not.

Agree with Linda F. We were there and witnessed the event. The host was extremely rude to every guest including the group I was with. We had 8 people and the first thing he said was I don’t see 8 people. He didn’t want seat us, despite multiple booths being available.
Service was ok. The food was terrible. No one at our table finished their food.
The host told a guest to F*ck off in front of the entire restaurant and said she «didn’t know the business,» when she asked to be seated with 3 of the 4 people in her party.
I used to be a hostess at a restaurant and if I ever spoke to a guest that way I would have been fired.
I won’t be going back.

Well, that was really disappointing.
Food was your standard diner fare.
Worst part was the staff. Our waiter didn’t speak English. Half our order was missing and he didn’t understand what was wrong. ‘Mmmm’ and repeating your words was the only thing he could do.
While this was happening two waitresses or bus girls were busy sitting in a booth, texting and gossiping. They also gave loud commentary on the tips left behind for them. If you don’t do any work, you don’t get decent tips.
And I hope you like to watch Telemundo, because it’s the only thing on the TV.

It’s a classic old school NY diner. Didn’t eat, just did malts, shakes and cheesecake. All were good.
My friends live a block away on 111 st and I’ve been wanting to go for over 15 years, but never made it. Now I have. I’m happy.

Si son fanáticos de Seinfeld, Tom’s Restaurant tiene que ser una parada obligatoria en New York. Sí, la fachada de este famoso dinner es la que utilizaban en la mítica serie televisiva como uno de los lugares en el que pasaban gran parte de su tiempo Jerry, George, Kramer y Elaine. Encima por dentro está lleno de cuadros, posters y de todo un poco de cosas relacionadas a cada uno de estos geniales personajes. Un sitio imprescindible para sacar más de una foto.
Pero Tom’s Restaurant no es solo el recuerdo de Seinfeld, sino que es un lugar más que copado para ir a comer. Con un menú bastante clásico pero variado, hay que decir que la comida de este local es bastante rica, sumamente abundante y a precios medianamente accesibles.
En fin, este restaurant es la mezcla ideal entre buena comida, un ambiente más que agradable y el valor nostálgico que implica visitar este lugar. Diría que es muy recomendable para cualquier persona, pero realmente imprescindible para los fans de Seinfeld. Encima la atención es muy buena, lástima que debe ser uno de los pocos lugares que no acepta tarjetas de crédito en NY, o sea asegúrense de ir con efectivo.

Also, um es kurz zu machen, die Qualität der Speisenzubereitung ist wirklich nicht gut. Das ist fast food auf dem untersten Niveau. Wir waren vor Monaten mit Freunden da und schämen uns noch immer dafür, dass wir dorthin eingeladen haben.
Der Laden hätte aufgrund seiner Lage und seiner extremen Bekanntheit eine andere Küche wirklich verdient. Aber vermutlich ist dies genau der Grund dafür, dass die Qualität so niedrig ist, denn voll ist dieser Laden trotzdem meistens. Und daher gibt es augenscheinlich keinen Anlass, etwas zu verändern.

Lo único bueno de este restaurant es que ahí fue filmado Seinfeld. Es lo único bueno.
Está bien irte a tomar la foto por fuera y eso es lo bueno que no tienes que entrar a consumir para poder hacerlo. A los más fanáticos de Seinfeld seguro tendrán que entrar y probar algo de lo que los personajes siempre pedían y de una vez les digo que se arrepentirán pues la comida es peor que mala.
Adentro tienen el cuadro de Kramer lo cual me pareció fantástico, una foto ahí no puede faltar.

Una verdadera avalancha de sentimientos encontrados en este lugar, por un lado si eres fanático de Seinfeld vas a sentir gran emoción al sólo verlo, realmente es el exterior tal y como aparecía en la serie; por otra parte el servicio y la comida son realmente malos. Por dentro el lugar da un aire pero no es igual al de la serie, tienen algo de parafernalia de Seinfeld pero no gran cosa; aún así si eres un verdadero fan no debes dejar de visitarlo, al menos para tomarte una foto desde afuera.

Essen ok, ungewuerzt, Preise durchschnittlich, WC nur wenn man unbedingt muß. Freundliche Bedienung, große Auswahl. Ein typischer amerikanischer Diner, es gibt viel Fleischauswahl, Kartoffelgrichte und relativ große Portionen. Nur die Qualität ist nicht so mein Fall.

Die besten Punkte vorab: Das Ambiente entspricht dem Klischee eines amerikanischen Diner, das Personal war sehr entgegenkommend und das Essen kam fix.
Die Getränke, die wir ohne Eiswürfel bestellt hatten, kamen natürlich mit welchen drin an den Tisch. Auf Nachfrage wurde das zügig geändert. Trotzdem hinterließ das einen schlechten Eindruck. Bei meinem Wrap mit Tomate, Mozzarella und Champignons wurde nicht an den Zutaten gespart, jedoch am Geschmack. Weder die Pommes (als Beilage) noch der Wrap waren gewürzt worden. Freilich standen Salz, Pfeffer und Ketchup auf dem Tisch, um selber zu würzen. Mir war es allerdings neu, mein Essen völlig ungewürzt serviert zu bekommen. Nachwürzen ja schön, komplett selbst würzen nein danke.
Mag das Ambiente auch kultig gewesen sein, richtig lange wollte ich mich dort nicht aufhalten. Dafür wurde mir zu viel Hektik verbreitet. Übrigens wird dort nur Barzahlung akzeptiert.